. . .because Morris, Minnesota, is a pleasant, quiet, safe yet intellectually stimulating place on the west central Minnesota prairie, home of the U of M-Morris and a whole lot of interesting people. - morris mn

"You'll never get ahead if you don't take care of what you have." - Doris Waddell, RIP

A historic building on our U of M-Morris campus - morris mn

The multi-ethnic building was the original home of the music department at UMM. (B.W. photo)

Friday, July 8, 2016

Francis Schmidt ("Fritz") was gem of a person

(Pedersen FH photo)

Fritz
Schmidt was the warming house attendant at the main street skating rink
in the 1960s. Yes, there was a skating rink along our Atlantic Avenue
back then. It was for recreational skating and not hockey. Hockey was a
sport on the margins in those days. Kids of all ages came and enjoyed
our facility.
Fritz enjoyed this type of commitment to the area's youth. He was very baseball-oriented. His son Steve, a fantastic lefthanded
baseball pitcher, was two years older than me. That put him in the
Morris High School Class of '71. Steve was widely thought to have pro
potential as a pitcher. He threw with great velocity. The rarity of
southpaw pitchers made him that much more confounding for batters. I
remember watching him pitch like it was yesterday. He was held back by
injury which I think he suffered lifting weights.
Fritz had a
sister, Margaret, who was married to one of the town's photographers.
Margaret was like a business partner for her husband Doug too. There
were two town photographers: Doug Garberick and Walt
Monroe. They were pillars of the community. I'm not sure how a
professional photographer makes a living today, considering how people
can handle their own photographic needs so well.
The Garbericks
had their studio as part of their residence across from the court
house. That house has been razed. The young musicians of Morris who were
captivated by jazz loved Doug, an avid musician. Doug would take some
of us kids, including his son Tom, to the Twin Cities for an occasional
jazz/big band concert. Tom is a Buddy Rich-style drummer.
Walt Monroe had his studio where the Willie's parking lot is today. He too had a dynamic family.
My
father formed a close friendship with Francis "Fritz" Schmidt. The two
would talk for extended times at the skating rink warming house. Fritz
was happy to step forward and volunteer for youth-centered activities.
He had such an engaging personality and sense of humor.
I remember
photographing Fritz on the morning after one of the most memorable
Vikings football games ever. He wore a hat that had Viking horns
protruding from the sides. I ran into Fritz at the main street
restaurant where Riverwood Bank is today. The restaurant had three names through the years: Del Monico, Kelly's and Ardelle's. Fritz was celebrating the game where Ahmad Rashad
made that miracle catch at the end, remember? I quoted Fritz saying "I
fell off the davenport." We put the photo on page 1. Everyone who knew
Fritz knew he was the perfect symbol for the kind of joy us fans felt.
My
last image of Fritz was of him coming to our Morris Public Library
where he was a very regular patron. He and I went out of our way to talk
to each other. The aging process was creating some challenges for him,
nevertheless he was the same old Fritz with a twinkle in his eye. We
will all miss that so much.
Fritz was the gentle and easy-going type
who reflected the traits of his generation: "The Greatest Generation."
No one can stop the gradual exit of that unique and dedicated generation
that defeated the Axis powers and was so happy to bring children into
the world.
Fritz came into the world in 1920 on the family farm east
of Morris. He was a lifelong devoted Catholic. He was a product of our
country schools. You can get a taste of the country schools by visiting
an authentic old building at the Stevens County Fair. I often think
those schools had advantages.
Fritz's life changed in April of 1942
as Uncle Sam came calling. Fritz served as a sergeant in India and
China. He was honorably discharged on November 14, 1945. He came back to
his beloved family farm in America's heartland. He married his wife
Madelyn in 1946. Father Fearon officiated.
Fritz would
take over the farm from his father Henry who was a real patriarch. I
remember Henry who lived to a quite advanced age. Fritz and Madelyn
stayed on the farm until 2009 when they moved to Morris.
We remember
Fritz very well as a devoted member of service organizations in Morris
like the VFW, Legion, Eagles and Knights of Columbus. He built wooden
butterflies and mailboxes.
Steve was one of four sons of Fritz and
Madelyn. The others are Ray, Ron and Larry. Oh, and there are four
daughters! Carol, Jan, Linda and Dar blessed the Schmidt marriage.
The
story of Fritz in World War II was told in the book "The '40s, a Time
for War and a Time for Peace," put out by the Stevens County Historical
Society. The headline for Fritz's story is "V for Victory." Some dots
and dashes of Morse code are also part of the headline. The book is at
our public library. I'm sure Library Director Melissa Yauk will greatly miss seeing Fritz visit there.
Fritz
passed away on July 5 at Stevens Community Medical Center. He was 96,
the same age as my father when he passed. They can continue their
repartee in heaven.
Funeral mass for Francis "Fritz" Schmidt is on
Saturday, July 9, 2:30 p.m. at Assumption Catholic Church. Father Todd
Schneider will officiate. In closing, I will quote Fritz's WWII story
from the Stevens County Historical Society book. Here it is:

I
entered the service April 26, 1942, and spent three and a half years in
the Army Air Force. Our training began in Spokane, Washington, at Ft.
George Wright. This is where we learned Morse code. Our salary was $26 a month. We then moved to Davis Montha
Air Base in Tucson, Arizona. Then on to Stead Air Base at Reno, Nevada,
still learning Morse and Japanese code. From there we shipped to Camp Stoneman, near Pittsburg, Caifornia. We were the 955 Radio Intelligence Squadron.

I
then went overseas to Bombay, India, where we waited about a week for
our equipment to arrive, but it had been sunk. We traveled overland by
truck to Karachi. I got so much dust in my lungs from the roads that I
got dust pneumonia. After about a month at Karachi, we traveled by train
to Delhi and then on to Barikpur, north of Calcutta, where
we stayed about two years. Spent the last seven months in China. I
intercepted and copied Japanese code. Our transmissions were then
decoded by our cryptographers, two mathematicians.

We had a
squadron in Burma, India, and China, and with radio direction finders at
each place, we were able to cross lines and find out where the signals
came from. We were with the Flying Tigers, 14th Air Force.

I
returned home November 14, 1945. Many years after the war ended, we
heard that our work helped to shorten the war with Japan, which made me
very proud.

Summer scenes around Morris, 2012

Click on the image to view a Flickr album of photos taken around the Morris area in the warm weather months of 2012. This group includes photos taken at the 2012 UMM graduation. The image above taken near Perkins Lake was chosen for display in the "Minnesota Explorers" Flickr gallery which is linked to Rick Kupchella's "Bring Me the News" MN website. Also chosen was a field of sunflowers photo I took. I'm delighted to have such platforms available. - B.W.

Past MACA Tiger football photos:

City of Morris perspective:

Pin it on your chest!

Click on the above image to access our "City Data" page.

Morris Theater - morris mn

Click on this image to read thoughts/reflections on our Morris Theater, which is hanging on through changing times (as a co-op). There is a link at the bottom of this post to read part 2 as well. These posts were written in spring of 2010 so there are some dated references. Any Morris native can spin some fond recollections of enjoying cinema fare there with friends.

Enjoy some fall scenery around Morris:

Enjoy some winter scenes around Morris:

Sam Smith statue - morris mn

Click on the image to read about the Sam Smith "running rifleman" statue at Summit Cemetery. This post explores the life of Samuel Smith, early Morris resident. He fought for the Union cause in several major engagements in the Civil War. The statue is patterned after the statue for the First Minnesota Regiment at Gettysburg National Park. This post is the newest of three that I have written about Sam Smith. I consider it the most comprehensive about the man. The statue can be an overlooked landmark of Morris MN. Everyone here ought to be familiar with it. Smith raised a large family north of Morris.

The first building here

In 1871 the first building erected within the village of Morris was the headquarters of the chief engineer of the railroad, C.H.F. Morris. With the railroad came the people.

The WCROC overlook

A nice view to the west is afforded from the WCROC overlook. It's a relatively new feature of the WCROC grounds. Specifically it's part of the WCROC Horticulture Garden. Click on the image to reach the West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) website. Les Lindor was instrumental in making the overlook a reality. He served the West Central Experiment Station (the entity predating the WCROC) as ag engineer.

Stay informed about Stevens County MN:

Morris' music mecca:

Words to live by

This original and popular sign can be seen from the highway between Morris and Cyrus. It's associated with the late Dan Helberg. There used to be a sculpture next to it but perhaps it was removed due to legal restrictions (i.e. as a distraction). The sign has the thumbs-up for which we are grateful. Let's always heed these words.

Some spring/summer photo scenes:

The bike trail system

Call it both a walking and bicycling trail. It snakes along both the east and west sides of our Pomme de Terre River. You can do a complete lap which reportedly measures 4 1/2 miles. It's a fitness challenge for those willing to push their bodies a little! This photo was taken on the east side of the river, heading toward Lake Crissey (a wide spot on the river). Spring is a great time to get out there.

Our area's history:

Remembering "ag school"

From the time it accepted its first class in 1910, until it graduated its final class of seniors in 1963, over 7,000 students attended the West Central School of Agriculture. The precursor of the U of M-Morris, it opened its doors to its first class of 103 students in October of 1910.

Wildflowers out by the river

Click on this image to reach the "Minnesota wildflowers" website. This photo was taken on the west side of our Pomme de Terre River.

Before the current library

In 1921 the Stevens County Memorial Armory was built on the 100 block of East 6th Street, the site which is now occupied by the Morris Public Library.1969 saw the opening of the new Morris Public Library on the site of the old armory, leaving vacant the Carnegie building. The Historical Society found a new home in the Carnegie building in 1970.

A suggested restaurant

About Me

Brian Williams is a former writer in the Morris "dead tree" media who plies his pastime in the wonderful, liberating new media today. He refuses to consider himself an alternative journalist because the web is now the mainstream. Newspapers are in rapid retreat and it won't be long before they will exist in vestigial form only. Print media will not die because as a media observer put it: "We will always have print media for as long as there's a 'print' button on your computer." A once weekly newspaper (like in Morris) won't cut it. It's not consistent with our instant gratification culture. But the media are blossoming more than ever thanks to all the new tools. It's an uplifting, "green" new universe. Key word suggestions: morris mn - hancock mn - donnelly mn - cyrus mn - chokio mn - alberta mn - 56267 - stevens county - morris theater mn - morris area tigers - hancock owls.

Buy a car:

Pomme de Terre or Perkins?

Most maps identify it as "Perkins Lake" but it's known as Pomme de Terre to many local residents. The sign at the entry to the lake access uses the Pomme de Terre term, so that seems legitimate. This lake is part of a chain that represent wide spots on the Pomme de Terre River. Pomme de Terre Lake is useful for recreation and fishing, plus there are many fine residences along the shoreline. The chain is located several miles north of Morris.

A Destiny Driver. . .

"I Love Morris" is consistent with one of the "destiny drivers" as articulated by Stevens Forward! (named for Stevens County): "By 2010 we will enhance our interconnectedness by better utilizing the technology infrastructure to create a virtual community." (2010 is already here but this is always a "work in progress!")

We're the "Storm" in hockey

Click on this image to reach the official website of the Morris Benson Area "Storm" hockey program. Of course it's "MBA" for short. In Morris these teams play at the Lee Community Center, next to the fairgrounds.

B.W.'s country music memories, 1996-97:

Your Congressman:

Maintain perspective:

Main street of Morris mn

Atlantic Avenue is the main street of Morris and it's typically abuzz. Click on the above image to reach the Stevens County Economic Improvement Commission website.

Gager's Station

The first stopping place in Stevens County was Gager's Station, considered by some historians to be one of the more important stopping plces on the Wadsworth Trail. The station was nestled among the trees near Wintermute Lake.

VIDEO CLIPS

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The Eagles huddle

Blue is the color of the Morris amateur baseball team which goes by the nickname "Eagles." They're pictured about to break a pre-game huddle at their home: Chizek Field, named for the late Don Chizek who coached the Morris High Tigers for many years. The Tigers now have their own veteran coach in Lyle Rambow. Lyle had a successful playing career with the Eagles.

RIP jazz band leaders:

Best dog you could own:

"Dog is my co-pilot":

Superb early-morning TV:

Wind turbines - morris mn

There are two grand wind turbines such as this one on the eastern edge of Morris. It appears glistening white in this photo but they often are dark, silhouetted against the bright sky. A photographer never tires of them. They have become sustainable symbols of the community.

A trail of long ago here

The Wadsworth Trail was established by the U.S. Government in 1864 to transport supplies from St. Cloud to Fort Wadsworth, west of present day Sisseton, South Dakota.

No longer just a comedian:

She's upstaging Jim Klobuchar now:

Visit our McDonald's

It's a hotspot for dependable fast food and, just as important, socializing: our McDonald's Restaurant on the north end of Atlantic Avenue.

Our park in west Morris

Wells Park, located near Pacific Avenue and West 11th Street, was established in 1916 on land donated to the city by Henry Wells (a successful businessman and land investor) and Margaret Hulburd. Additional land was donated in 1935 by the Wells Investment Company, and in 1980 by Grace Zamerow.